The Wandering Heretics
A trio of rogue psykers known as the Wandering Heretics have eluded capture by the Black Ships. A number of interested parties are on their tail, and one group has them cornered. Unfortunately, the psykers will not come quietly. A chase has ensued, that will take the quarry and their pursuers far and wide; and into the middle of more danger... Requirements 6 counters of three matching pairs 3 players and warbands 3 miniatures to represent the Wandering Heretics 3-5 miniatures to represent the cultists 1 miniature to represent the Specimen Set Up The board should be divided width ways into three equally sized areas. These are distinct areas and characters cannot walk between the divisions. It would be helpful to arrange differently themed terrain in each area to aid the visual distinction for the players. In the first area set up the Wandering Heretics and their pursuers (warband one). Place the models wherever looks fun. In the second area set up a number of models (3-5 should do) of cultists currently being purged by the second warband. Place the models wherever looks fun. In the third area set up a model to represent a specimen or prisoner currently undergoing examination by the third warband. Place the warband in a rough circle around the specimen near the centre of the board. Objectives Warband one: * Incapacitate and recover each of the Wandering Heretics. A suspensor harness for easy movement of the psykers has been allocated to each member of the warband. When strapped to a captive, they will hover slightly off the ground and can be moved at no penalty as long as their captor stays in base-to-base contact. Warband two: * Kill each of the cultists and rig their stronghold to explode. One member of the warband may be equipped with a demolition charge to allow them to complete the mission. Warband three: * Complete examination of the specimen will require the passing of a total of 10 Sagacity tests by a single nominated member of the warband. Each member of the warband has access to a shock maul and magnacles. GM Notes The Wandering Heretics are so-called as each has the ability to conjure portals through the warp that allow them to jump many hundreds of kilometres across a planet’s surface at once. While the objectives given to the players seem simple, the movement of the psykers will make things very complicated, very quickly. After setting up the table and giving the players their objectives, place three counters to represent the warp portals in front of the rogue psykers. It will help to allocate one of the matching pairs of counters to each psyker now (colour-coding with their clothing or a tab on their base for ease of memory). The psykers take their first actions before any other characters, and immediately leap through their portal. Place another three counters anywhere on any of the three table divisions and have the psykers run into cover on the other side. Characters entering one portal will appear at the one of matching colour. At some point early in the game, or right away, have a portal appear next to the specimen being examined by warband three and have it escape. The cultists in area two will also try and escape through any portal. Stress to the players that they must recover or incapacitate every last one of their quarry, by jumping through the portals too! Every time a psyker jumps, remove the portals allocated to him from play, place one in front of him, and the other wherever you fancy. Try to keep the psykers alive long enough to have each of the warbands get spread out across the three areas. If it doesn’t immediately occur to the players of warbands two and three, keeping warband one from incapacitating the psykers will aid their recovery of their quarry. To ensnare a psyker in a suspensor harness, the pursuing character must enter base-to-base contact, and a WS test with a -30% difficulty penalty must be passed. Once restrained, the psyker is considered to have been rendered unconscious and no longer able to jump. They may be freed and brought round by another character in base-to-base contact with a successful Strength test. The Specimen can be restrained by placing it in magnacles as a free action by a character in base-to-base contact if the Specimen is currently Stunned. NPC Profiles Psychic Abilities: Portals – for this game it is not necessary to roll psychic tests to use this power. Equipment: Laspistol and knife, or equivalent common weapons, robes. Motivation: escape from pursuers, and if possible regroup where they started. Equipment: Laspistol or Lasgun (MP) and knife, or equivalent common weapons, robes. Motivation: kill the interlopers, but escape and keep the cult alive as a last resort. Equipment: none – it wouldn’t make much sense to leave a captor’s stuff on him! Motivation: escape the prison and go to ground, fight only if cornered.